A Dilly of a pickle I'm in right now

Hitch-Hiker

here's the situation, I'm coming to the USA for the summer. I'll be staying in San Diego for 3 months or so on a student work Visa which requires me to get a job within 18 days of arriving. I'm arriving on June 3rd with a stopoover in JFK along the way. Now, I have just enough money to get tickets for both nights at the garden and fly over. The problem: wahtever crappy temp job I get will be none too pleased about me jetting off to New York only a few days after I start working. So here are my options:

1 - Stay in San Diego and cry myself to sleep for misssing out on my only opportunity to see Pearl Jam at the garden.

2 - Risk losing my job and possibly getting sent home halfway through my holiday for the sake of seeing Pearl Jam 3 years in a row.

3 - Ditch my 6 other friends who are going over with me, stay in New York from June 3rd for the whole summer, get a job there instead and possibly take in more shows on the tour.

4 - Same as 3 exept instead of ditching my friends I persuade them to take a small financial hit and stay in New York too.

Currently, option 2 is top of my list. What do you think I should do?

LeilaMoonTurtle

call in sick
go to msg and then back to CA
u'll look like hell from all the traveling
so it will be believable

Hitch-Hiker

LeilaMoonTurtle wrote:

call in sick
go to msg and then back to CA
u'll look like hell from all the traveling
so it will be believable

I like it. I was going to go with the dying relative excuse though

LeilaMoonTurtle

u just have to b the perfect employ from the start
always on time
never call in sick
and then poof
all of the sudden food poisoning or horrible cold or something

but don't kill off relatives
haha

Hitch-Hiker wrote:

I like it. I was going to go with the dying relative excuse though

McJuicy

by the sound of it, the job you're getting within 18 days won't be that great, so just get the first job, go to the shows, and if they have a problem with in, line something up for when you return from msg - however, if the initial job you get is constructive for your career path, well then tell them you've got family from europe in that week and you would like off to travel the coast with them - i'd say these are your 2 best options, but i haven't given it that much thought, good luck

Hitch-Hiker

McJuicy wrote:

by the sound of it, the job you're getting within 18 days won't be that great, so just get the first job, go to the shows, and if they have a problem with in, line something up for when you return from msg - however, if the initial job you get is constructive for your career path, well then tell them you've got family from europe in that week and you would like off to travel the coast with them - i'd say these are your 2 best options, but i haven't given it that much thought, good luck

You're right about the job. ALthough it's required by the visa, it's really just something to fill up the days. I'm liking the advice here btw

Drum Machine89

That is a problem man!, il be maybe heading over for like 4-5 days for the MSG shows, id go with being a really good employee then pretend you are really ill and fly out to New York, for the gigs man, Are your friends PJ fans too?

LeilaMoonTurtle

def have something lined up
but still be a fab employee at the first job
u don't want to cause unnecessary stress

people get sick
you r a foreigner
u didn't know it wasn't a good idea to eat daily from te street vendor
haha!

redrock

Hitch.. as Mcjuicy said.... Get a job, any job. You're irish.. use your accent to charm them into letting you have a week. They're used to people coming and going in crappy jobs. If they don't let you have the week, quit and find another one when you get back. Loads of crappy jobs around! Like that you will have fulfilled your visa requirements.

Have a great time!

LeilaMoonTurtle

wait can you get any job?

or do you have to have something specific?

Hitch-Hiker

LeilaMoonTurtle wrote:

wait can you get any job?

or do you have to have something specific?

Any job at all. Do you have an offer?
I could actually be employed in Colorado and be living in Cali. I know a guy who had a relative who helped him scam the system like that. He got to do his thing all summer, but he was on the books in his uncles company.

LeilaMoonTurtle

really?

so what is the problem?

go to your job and be excellent, have another lined up, get sick go to msg, if they get rid of you, move on.

I thought u needed a contract or something.

yay! enjoy the show!

Hitch-Hiker

LeilaMoonTurtle wrote:

really?

so what is the problem?

go to your job and be excellent, have another lined up, get sick go to msg, if they get rid of you, move on.

I thought u needed a contract or something.

yay! enjoy the show!

Well, to be honest I just hate being a bad employee. And I'm not sure how easy or hard it'll be to get short term jobs over there. I suppose I shouldn't worry so much.

LeilaMoonTurtle

great now I feel guilty about my advice

umm
I am not clear on how it works, but if u were an excellent employee and became sick but as soon as u were able to move u were back at work, it should be fine.

no smiling when u r back at work after pj!

Hitch-Hiker

LeilaMoonTurtle wrote:

great now I feel guilty about my advice

umm
I am not clear on how it works, but if u were an excellent employee and became sick but as soon as u were able to move u were back at work, it should be fine.

no smiling when u r back at work after pj!

Don't feel guilty. I was hoping for this advice Screw it! It's my holiday, I'm there to have fun. Now all I have to do is get tickets

meistereder

You only live once. This is a job you just need to "have" -- not one that challenges you or you need for your career. Go to the show. You can get another job within a short period of time. Work at Sunglass Hut. Down in San Diego, you could bus tables, clean off the bottoms of yachts, work on a fishing boat, be a deck hand, work in food service, do data entry, get a retail job folding clothes at Macy's, etc. Just see the shows.

Hitch-Hiker

More endorsements for option 2. I like it!

manhattan

Are you planning to travel the west coast? No offense to San Diego, but I think you'd be bored stiff there for 3 months. Definitely go to NY.

MichaelMcKevin

I like what people are saying about taking time off right when u start. If they end up firing you, get any job. Any shit job that u have to do and find a better one while staying on the payroll.

You don't need to have the same job. Just stay on payroll anywhere.

meistereder

manhattan wrote:

Are you planning to travel the west coast? No offense to San Diego, but I think you'd be bored stiff there for 3 months. Definitely go to NY.

He said the original plan is in San Diego. Depends on his interests. San Diego is a cool town.

Hitch-Hiker

meistereder wrote:

He said the original plan is in San Diego. Depends on his interests. San Diego is a cool town.

I personally would've preferred somewhere else. Too many Irish students go to San Diego now, but I joined the trip late so it was already decided.

LeilaMoonTurtle

or #4

LeilaMoonTurtle wrote:

call in sick
go to msg and then back to CA
u'll look like hell from all the traveling
so it will be believable

Vedd Hedd

Hitch-Hiker wrote:

Any job at all. Do you have an offer?
I could actually be employed in Colorado and be living in Cali. I know a guy who had a relative who helped him scam the system like that. He got to do his thing all summer, but he was on the books in his uncles company.

hehe, welcome to America.

wash_

Hitch-Hiker wrote:

2 - Risk losing my job and possibly getting sent home halfway through my holiday for the sake of seeing Pearl Jam 3 years in a row.
/quote]

Do what ya gotta do...would you feel guilty for not taking the opportunity to see them in New York? If yes...GO TO NEW YORK!!!! And have a blast for the rest of us stuck here. No doubt you'll hear Education once more!

Hitch-Hiker

It's clear now that I don't have a choice in the matter.

[Waynes World impression]I will go to the concert, Oh yes, I will go to the concert[/Waynes World impression]

ECM

getting fired to see pearl jam..... sometimes I just don't get people....

Hitch-Hiker

Evil Closet Monkey wrote:

getting fired to see pearl jam..... sometimes I just don't get people....

Well, it's not definite yet.

wash_

Hitch-Hiker wrote:

It's clear now that I don't have a choice in the matter.

[Waynes World impression]I will go to the concert, Oh yes, I will go to the concert[/Waynes World impression]

No, you dont have a choice. You're representing Europe. Make the boys come back to us!!!!!!!!!!

meistereder

Evil Closet Monkey wrote:

getting fired to see pearl jam..... sometimes I just don't get people....

This is not a career. It's a busy work job. You only live once.

If I were studying abroad somewhere and PJ was playing in the country, there is no way I would miss it.

Vedd Hedd

Evil Closet Monkey wrote:

getting fired to see pearl jam..... sometimes I just don't get people....

Yeah. I dont get it.

I have seen 30+ shows, and I plan to see 30+ more.

But I wouldn't do anything to risk losing my job, wife, family, work visa, or any other life-changing-type thing.

If I was in college and I was blowing off a class and selling some CD's to get tour money, thats a different story. (Heck, have a keg party to rasie travel funds.)

But its really not worth it to risk your well-being.

What if you have a job that has health benefits, then you decide to blow it all on a few concerts, then get fired, then get in a car accident, and cant pay for your hospital bills becasue you dont have benefits anymore.......

To the original poster.....what if you cant find another job, (as finding a job is tough right now in the US) and end up getting sent back?

Would it have been worth it?


EDIT: I dont have a wife, children, etc, but there was another thread where the guy was contemplating leaving his pregnant to go see a pearl jam show two weeks before her due date.

Thats kinda ridiculous.

JOEJOEJOE

If you get fired, does you ability to stay in this country get effected?